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Love those retro gauge faces. How bad are they to install?.
Definitely well over the line for benefit vs. effort to start - in other words, not an easy job, but as can be seen the end result could be worth it.
In summary, the hardest part is possibly just removing the lower dash trim, and the instrument cluster itself.
The other work, inside the cluster, isn't that hard if you've got the right tools and have had some experience with handling PCBs.
Summary on a few of the steps starting here, and there's more threads on RL, and vids on the internet on tips in general too...
picking up my Cayman from my Indy today or tomorrow had a Fabspeed headers installed,Ferodo street/track brake pads and Motul brake fluids, and oil/filter change. Next is the Dyno to find out what's up.
Anyone near zip 08048 (Lumberton, NJ) wants to baseline dyno (no tuning) their Cayman i can get you in for free. DM me.
Gearbox lube, plugs, engine mount and accessory drive
Got up early and got the cayman 2.9 manual up on front ramps and rear stands.
started off by removing all the under cladding and rear metal plate under gearbox. Also removed the rear wheels and the access panels for the spark plugs.
remarkably clean under all that plastic.
I drained and refilled the transmission/diff with Porsche branded gear oil.
Removed and replaced the Autolite single electrode plugs with new Bosch multi electrode plugs.
then I turned to the motor mount.
I released the coolant lines for some flexibility and supported the front of the engine
unbolted The mount from below then went up to cabin and pulled the access cover for the driver side upper bolt.
A little wiggling, squeezing and stretching got the old mount out.
I realized at that point it would never be easier to change the accessory drive belt so grabbed my new one and installed it.
I had bought the Porsche mount with the yellow power flex inserts from FCPEURO.
I installed the new bushing into the chassis mount.
the old bushing was torn in multiple places. When driving you could feel the engine wind up as you added or lifted throttle.
the pointy part of the egg faces up and takes the load when accelerating.
Clearly destroyed at 108000 miles.
I inspected the trans mounts and found them dry so they can wait for a while.
buttoned it all back up and took it for a test drive.
the new mount is much better. No more wind up and slack on and off the throttle.
maybe a slight extra vibe through the seat but changing plugs and mounts and adding the power flex parts I couldn’t tell you which one contributes the most.
Got up early and got the cayman 2.9 manual up on front ramps and rear stands.
That's a full day's work!
Impressed... notably as my efforts were significantly easier...
With the auto headlight mod, I just replaced my headlight switch ring with an auto-on icon version:
Instead of HOME, I now have that little tunnel icon (HOME function still operable of course), and a redundant front fog icon.
picking up my Cayman from my Indy today or tomorrow had a Fabspeed headers installed,Ferodo street/track brake pads and Motul brake fluids, and oil/filter change. Next is the Dyno to find out what's up.
Anyone near zip 08048 (Lumberton, NJ) wants to baseline dyno (no tuning) their Cayman i can get you in for free. DM me.
Ubered to my Indy (49 miles) and drove her home via winding road and highway she felt lighter, responsive, and faster with a light growl but need to address the slight tremor above 85 mph and have to live with the forever CEL but i guess a black permanent electrical tape will do, lol
next is the dyno
Last edited by 2swoosh; 04-14-2024 at 09:10 AM.
Reason: typo
Why the permanent CEL? Headers? If yes, I had thought that Fabspeed claims no CEL. Did you get rid of the Cats?
Originally Posted by 2swoosh
Ubered to my Indy (49 miles) and drove her home via winding road and highway she felt lighter, responsive, and faster with a light growl but need to address the slight tremor above 85 mph and have to live with the forever CEL but i guess a black permanent electrical tape will do, lol
next is the dyno
I mostly wrapped up my head unit upgrade plus rear and front camera additions. Huge upgrade from stock. Having wireless carplay, and rear camera is a game changer to my 2008 cayman S to get it up to current standards. The aliexpress chinese unit from Heregoes is actually a pretty nice unit and very inexpensive for a stock look with real *****. I wasnt 100% sure but im glad i did it.
still working on getting the front camera working but i did all the hard work removing the bumper and wiring so hopefully get it running soon.
I installed this seat rail cup holder. Does anybody have experience with it? Is comfortable for the passenger even with a cup/bottle in it?
I had one like that in my 993 and never had a passenger indicate that it was in the way with or without a cup/bottle in it. The thing you have to be aware of is people attempting to adjust the seat and detailers/technicians moving the seat and bending the mounting screw. That said, it was a great alternative to the no cupholders situation in the 993.